Sacrifice
by FireflySurvivor
Summary: Max had to make a choice. Sacrifice Chloe or Sacrifice Arcadia Bay...or sacrifice herself.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my very first time writing a Life is Strange story. I saw a discussion on Tumblr on how there was rumored to be an ending involving a hospital, so it gave me the idea to write this. I hope you enjoy it. :)**

"I just spoke to Ryan and Vanessa; they'll be here soon." Joyce said as she entered the hospital room. Her high heeled shoes clicked against the white tiles as she headed over to the bed. She put a supportive arm around her daughter and patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. The sound of steady beeping from the machines being the only noise in the room. "Honey, why don't you go home and get some rest?" **  
**

"No, I want to stay with her. I'll go when her parents get here." Chloe answered, keeping a firm hold of Max's hand. She stared at her childhood friend, still trying to get her head around this crazy situation. "I haven't seen or heard from her in five years…and the first time I see her again; she saves my life. How does that happen? If she didn't come in when she did, Prescott probably would have shot me."

"This isn't your fault, sweetheart. It was just a crazy coincidence that Max was there too. This isn't the way I wanted us to see her again." Joyce reached forward and brushed a loose stand of hair behind Max's ear. This was a situation Joyce couldn't believe. When Joyce heard what happened in the bathroom, the last person she was expecting to be there was Max. She wasn't even aware that Max had moved back to town. "I'm going to go to the canteen to get a coffee. You want to come?"

"No, I want to stay. Just in case she wakes up. I don't want her to be alone." Chloe told her, not taking her eyes away from Max. She felt her mom pat her shoulder once again before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. "Don't you dare die on me, Caulfield." Chloe had said once again for what must have been the fiftieth time this week.

Chloe examined Max's face, she looked so different yet hadn't changed at all. She had shorter hair and looked more grown up, but she was still Max. Chloe was always hurt that Max had never contacted her, but after the events that happened four days ago, she couldn't be upset with her. After five years with no contact, Max appeared out of nowhere and saved her life. How it happened, Chloe had no clue. It was like Max was her personal superhero.

Nathan Prescott had pinned her to the wall and held a gun to her stomach, Chloe never thought Nathan would carry a gun around. He did drug her in his dorm room, but if Chloe thought for a second he would be dangerous enough to carry a gun, she would have never met him here.

"Nobody would ever even miss your punk ass, would they?" Nathan shouted, Chloe could now feel the gun poking her stomach. Before Chloe could say or do anything, a third voice echoed through the small bathroom.

"Nathan! Stop!" Nathan turned the gun away Chloe and towards the other end of the bathroom. A loud gunshot caused Chloe to jump, her heart was pounding wildly. She pushed Nathan out of her way and opened the bathroom door. She screamed for help before turning back into bathroom to see if the other girl was okay.

"Oh god, no, no, no!" Nathan chanted, putting his hands to his head. He had dropped the gun onto the tiled floor. Chloe quickly picked it up before Nathan could get to it again. He paced the room before approaching the brunette at the end of the room.

"Get away from her!" Chloe shouted as she pushed Nathan against the stall door. She looked at the shorter girl, what she saw was like a scene out of a horror movie. The girl's entire body was trembling; her breathing was extremely shaky. She held the right side of her stomach with both hands. When she moved them, Chloe could see they were covered in a crimson red liquid. She was pale with a look of shock and horror on her face. Chloe rushed over and caught the girl before she fell to the ground. Chloe had no idea what to do or say, she looked at the girls face and realised who she was. The brunette hair, the freckles across her nose and cheeks and those big blue eyes.

"M-Max? Max Caulfield?" Chloe said, her voice beginning to tremble. "No way! No _fucking_ way!" Chloe used her right arm to support Max's head. She moved her left hand down to the wound that Max was already trying to cover with her shaking hands. Blood was rapidly spreading across the pink fabric of her t-shirt. Chloe pressed her hand down on Max's blood soaked shirt, causing her to cry out in pain. "Max. It's me. Chloe, Chloe Price. You remember me, right?"

"Chloe…" Max gasped out between shaking breaths, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. Chloe couldn't help but let out a sob as tears poured down her face. She began stroking a stand of Max's hair in an effort to comfort her, even though Max didn't notice.

"Yeah, we have a lot of catching up to do, huh?" Chloe let out a shaky laugh, trying to hide her fear and panic from the wounded girl in her arms. "You'll be okay, Max. We'll get you to the hospital and you'll be fine." Chloe looked behind her to see her step-father was already there, pinning Nathan to the ground. "David, call an ambulance! Now!" She shouted.

"They're on the way. Try to keep her awake and talking." David called over the noise of the students in the hallway, while handcuffing Nathan's hands behind his back. Chloe turned back to Max, stoking her thumb along her tear soaked face. "They'll be here soon."

"I…I'm scared…" Max whimpered, her breathing becoming shakier and uneven. Chloe could see the fear in her eyes. She pulled Max closer to her, trying to comfort her.

"I know, I'm scared too. Don't worry, I won't leave you. You are going to be fine." Chloe was no medical expert, but she knew she needed to put pressure on her wound to reduce the bleeding. She pressed her hand down even harder on Max's stomach. Max let out a weak scream and began whimpering even more. "I'm so sorry, I know this hurts but it'll help. I promise."

Max's eyes began to close. Chloe gently shook her shoulder when she realised she was beginning to drift away.

"Max? No, come on! Stay awake for me! Okay?" Chloe begged, not wanting Max to die like this. She just lost Rachel six months ago, Max has only been back in her life for less than five minutes and she was slowly dying in her arms. Life couldn't be that cruel. It just couldn't be. "Please, Max! Don't do this! Not like this! Come on!" Chloe was trying to come up with anything to keep Max awake. She was gently shaking her shoulder to keep her alert. "W-when you're better, we can go to the lighthouse, like when we were kids. We can catch up on everything there! Sound good?"

"Chloe…" Max whispered before drifting out of consciousness. Chloe lost it. She broke down sobbing, pulling Max as close to her as possible. Max stopped Nathan from shooting Chloe, but got shot herself. Max couldn't die like this. This certainly not how Chloe imagined or wanted Max to come back into her life. Five years since she had seen or spoken to Max, now here she was in a school bathroom, begging her to stay alive. This is sick. This isn't fair. This must be some kind of sick joke.

Chloe had no idea how long she held Max in her arms for. It seemed like hours even though it was only a few short minutes. The EMT's rushed in and took Max's limp body from her arms. Chloe backed into one of the bathroom stalls and watched as they fought to keep Max alive. One medic worked on the wound, while another started attaching wires to Max's body. She was still breathing, which gave Chloe some hope that she would pull through this. They were working hard on Max, but to Chloe it seemed like they weren't working fast enough.

"Come on. Come on, Max." Chloe said to herself without even realising. She watched as they put a mask over Max's nose and mouth, one medic who was kneeling down by Max's head was using one of those self-inflating bags that was attached to the mask. He squeezed the bag at a steady beat every five seconds. The medics spoke to each other, using medical terms that Chloe didn't understand. She watched as they finally lifted Max onto the gurney and wheeled her out of the bathroom and to the waiting ambulance outside. Students who had gathered in the hallway watched in shock as one of the quietest students in Blackwell was taken away by the medics. Chloe followed and kept her eyes on Max until they closed the ambulance doors.

Max was doing good, according to the doctors. The bullet missed her major organs, but she did have serious internal bleeding which the doctors were able to repair. They said Max was strong and making good progress. Since Chloe wasn't a doctor, she couldn't see much change. She needed Max to wake up. It was the only way she would be convinced that everything is okay.

On Monday, when this whole nightmare started, Max was taken into emergency surgery to have the bullet removed from her stomach and repair the damage it did to her body. She was then taken into the ICU where she was kept on a ventilator, to allow her body time to heal. Chloe begged the doctors to let her see Max. They simply wouldn't allow it. It was strictly family only while she was in the ICU, even though Chloe told them over and over that she was the only person there for Max until her parents arrived. They refused. Joyce told Chloe it was probably for the best and she shouldn't have to see Max is such a vulnerable way.

On Tuesday, Ryan and Vanessa Caulfield finally arrived back to Arcadia Bay. They hadn't heard about what happened to their daughter until late Monday evening. The earliest flight that could get was overnight flight. They were taken from the airport to the hospital in a cop car. After learning about Max's condition, they went to Chloe to hear her side of the story. They were so determined to learn what exactly happened, they didn't even seem to notice Chloe's dramatic change in appearance. Nathan had been arrest for what happened. Chloe also heard Mr Jefferson was arrested too. She didn't know why; she was so focused on Max that she didn't follow the news.

Wednesday was when Max finally had a huge improvement in her condition. That morning she was slowly and successfully weaned off her ventilator. She was closely monitored now that she was breathing independently. Chloe still wasn't allowed in the ICU to see her, but that didn't stop her from sitting in the waiting room, waiting for any updates. Joyce stayed with Chloe when she wasn't in work. She told Chloe to go home a number of times, but she wanted to stay. The fact that Max saved her life ran through her head over and over again. If Max hadn't of stepped out like she did, Nathan would have shot Chloe instead. Chloe did feel incredibly guilty that Max was hurt in all this bullshit.

Thursday was the day that Chloe had been waiting for. Max was moved out of the ICU, meaning she could finally see her again. The doctors were happy with how well she was doing now that she was off the ventilator. Even though she was no longer in the ICU, the doctors were still keeping a close eye on her. Chloe stayed with her the whole day, giving her parents a chance to get some rest. Chloe still couldn't believe she was looking at her childhood friend like this. She wondered if Max had any idea that she was looking at her old best friend in that bathroom.

Today, the doctors were hoping Max would finally awaken. Her parents were away sorting out work related issues while they were away from Seattle. The doctors had reduced the sedation and now the rest was up to Max. The doctors had warned she could be very confused and may be easily panicked when she woke up. They were all advised to take it slowly and let Max ask all the questions.

"You saved me, Max." Chloe told her. The doctors had told them there was a chance Max could hear them, so Chloe spoke to her and just hoped she could hear. "I still can't believe it. I didn't even know you were back in Arcadia." Chloe held her hand and looked at her friend. Max was still hooked up to a heart monitor and had an oxygen tube in the side of her nose. Besides from that, Max looked like she was in a peaceful sleep. "I need you to pull through. I don't want to lose you like this." To Chloe's surprise, she felt Max's fingers move in her hand. She gasped before looking at Max's face to see she was beginning to awaken.

"Max…" Chloe quickly got up and hit the call button on the wall before quickly returning to Max's side. Max scrunched up her nose as she lightly moved her head across the pillow. "Come on, Max..." Max's eyes blinked several times before finally opening them fully. Her eyes scanned the room, with a confused look on her face. Chloe was unsure as to what do say or do. She gently placed her hand over Max's, causing her to turn and look at Chloe. "Hey Max…"

Max looked at the blue haired girl on front of her. Her memory slowly returning. She remembered the bathroom, she remembered everything that had happened. A tired smile rapidly spread across her face when she realised her Chloe was okay…she was alive. She rubbed her heavy eyes with one hand and keeping a firm hold of Chloe's hand with the other.

"Hi Chloe…"


	2. Chapter 2

**So, this was originally a one shot, but I've decided to add in a second chapter. It took a while due to my schedule. This is mainly based on the theory that one of the girls had to be shot to avoid the storm. Thank you so much for the feedback and I hope you enjoy this.**

"NO!" Max screamed, as she jumped up into a sitting position. She saw it again, the storm, the tornado, Arcadia Bay being destroyed and Nathan pointing that gun at Chloe. Max cried in pain at the sudden unbearable pain in her right side.

"Woah, easy Max!" She heard her father's voice and felt two strong hands on her shoulders. She looked around and realised that she was still in the hospital room. She took deep breaths as her dad slowly helped her lie back down against the pillows. "You have to be careful, sweetheart. You had some major stomach surgery this week."

"What date is it?" Max asked, her mind was racing. Her dad placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"It's October 12th…"

"T-the storm…" Max gasped, trying to sit up once again, only to be held down by her father's strong hands. Panicked tears filled in her eyes. She felt her mom place her hand on her head and as she gently shushed her.

"Honey, you must have been dreaming." Vanessa gently said, stroking her daughter's hair. Max frantically looked around until her eyes met the window. She sighed in relieve when she saw the blue cloudy sky. No storm in sight.

"There's no storm." Max said to herself without even realising. Both of her parents couldn't help but chuckle at their daughter. Vanessa patted her shoulder.

"No, sweetie. It was just a dream. Everything is okay." Vanessa said, moving away from the hospital bed and going back to sorting out Max's things that she had brought to the hospital. "We can't say the same for Blackwell."

"Vanessa, this isn't a good time or place to talk about this!" Ryan quickly cut in. It was too late, they both already had Max's attention. She slowly and carefully sat up in the bed and looked at both her parents.

"Blackwell? What happened at Blackwell?" Max asked, curiously. Her heart began pounding, had Chloe been shot too? Max could barely remember a thing. She barely remembered the day she woke up, since she spent most of the day in and out of sleep. She remembered Chloe sitting at her bedside, but it was hard to tell whether it was real or if she had dreamt the whole thing.

"That teacher you always talked about was arrested on Monday. After that Prescott kid was arrested. We've only heard the story briefly but he has been arrested on several kidnap charges." Her dad explained. Max took a deep breath, relieved that Jefferson had been caught. Maybe she had finally fixed everything the way it should be. Now she just needed to see Chloe to confirm everything was okay.

As if on cue, the family heard a knock on the hospital room door before it opened. Max's face lit up when she saw the blue haired girl walk into the room. Chloe appeared uneasy as she slowly walked into the hospital room. Max couldn't help but smile at the taller girl. "Chloe…"

"Hi…" Chloe said, looking between Max and the two adults in the room. It was a rare sight to see Chloe lost for words but after everything that happened this week and seeing the Caulfield family for the first time in five years, Max wasn't surprised at all. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, not at all. Come in, honey." Vanessa greeted, placing her hand on Chloe's shoulder and gesturing for her to go over to Max's bedside. Chloe smiled as she approached Max's bed. She sat down, careful not to disturb any of the wires or IV that Max was hooked up too. Max smiled and held out her arms. Chloe leaned in and wrapped her arms around Max. It felt so good for Max to hug Chloe again after everything that happened and after they pretty much said their goodbyes on the cliff.

"You look a lot better today." Chloe said when she pulled away from the hug. She observed the younger girls face, she looked less tired and was no longer the ghostly pale look she had over the past few days. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better." Max smiled. "I'm just so glad to see that you're okay."

"Thanks to you." Chloe said before pulling Max into another hug.

"Vanessa, why don't we give the girls some time to catch up?" Ryan said, Vanessa nodded on agreement before packing up their things and heading towards the door. Ryan followed and turned to the girls as he closed the door. "Just call us if you need anything."

"I'm just so glad you're okay." Chloe said, finally having a good look at Max. "I still can't believe it was you in the bathroom. I'm so sorry you got dragged into all this bullshit."

"Don't apologise, I'm just glad you weren't hurt." Max smiled, she still couldn't believe Chloe was here and the storm was nowhere in sight. She couldn't help but notice that Chloe's eyes were red and slightly puffy. "Are you okay? You look like you have been crying?"

"Umm…yeah…" Chloe took a deep breath to keep herself composed. Max had a good idea where this conversation was going, she simply took Chloe's hand and held it tightly. "It's a long story but a friend of mine went missing six months ago. I found last night that the police found a body. They don't know if it's her but there's a good chance it is."

"I'm so sorry, Chloe. That's awful." Max said supportively, however in her mind she had a feeling of relief. Her actions in the bathroom had saved Chloe, lead to Jefferson being arrested and Rachel finally being found. Maybe she had fixed everything. Max noticed Chloe blink back tears before shaking her head slightly.

"Are you able to sit up?" She asked. Max nodded. "Cause if the nurse got you a wheelchair, maybe we could get out of here for a while."

Max smiled and nodded at the idea. "I'd like that."

After fifteen minutes of practically begging the nurse to let them go out for a walk, the middle aged woman finally agreed after speaking to Max's doctor. She got a wheelchair and with Chloe's help, moved Max from the bed to the chair. Max hissed at the stinging pain in her stomach but was more than willing to power through it if it meant she could get away from the hospital room for a while. Max wasn't allowed leave the floor and had to be back in a half an hour. Luckily, Chloe knew a perfect place in the hospital they could go.

There was a hallway in the hospital with a full window that had a perfect view of the town, the beach and the cliff where the lighthouse was. At this point of the day, a soft orange glow come into the hallway as the sun began to set. It was the perfect time and place to see the golden hour. Chloe stopped Max's wheelchair beside one of the benches, facing the relaxing view outside. Chloe sat down on the bench, observing the view of the sun reflecting over the ocean.

"This is nice." Max smiled, taking in the beautiful images on front of her. Chloe smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I knew you would like it." Chloe told her, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest. "When you were in surgery on Monday, I waited here for news. It was at around this time, I was here and saw the view of the sun setting, I knew you would have loved to see it."

"Thank you for being me here." Max said as she shifted uncomfortably in the wheelchair. Chloe noticed and immediately leaned towards Max, placing her hand on Max's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Max smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine. My stomach is just a little sore." Max told her. Chloe gave an understanding nod before leaned back against the bench once again.

"That's understandable considering what you've been through this week. Plus, I bet you have a killer scar to show off." Chloe joked while gently nudging her elbow into Max's arm. Max couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess I do, I haven't seen it yet though." Max said while carefully placing her hand over her stomach where her wound was covered with multiple layers of bandages as it recovered from the surgery. She could tell by the smirk on Chloe's face that the teasing was going to continue.

"Just have to add some tattoos and piercings and you'll look epic." Chloe joked but at the same time, sounded so serious. It was like Deja-Vu for Max. Chloe said the same thing to her on Wednesday when she tried on Rachel's clothes. Off course, Chloe didn't remember. It was disappointing reminder to Max that her week with Chloe didn't exist. They would have to re-build their relationship all over again. So far they were doing good.

"So blue hair and full sleeve tattoos are on my future agenda?" Max teased back. Chloe chuckled before looking at her full arm tattoo with a content sigh.

"I got this on my post rock concert shenanigans." Chloe told her. Max smiled, even in their week together, Chloe never told Max the story behind her tattoo. "And back off, sister." Chloe said, pointing a warning finger at the photographer. "Blue is my colour." Both girls laughed, before a staying silent for a moment, enjoying the moment looking at the sun setting. It reminded Max of that Monday when they were at the cliff together. They sat there for nearly five minutes before Max broke the silence.

"Chloe, I'm the worst." She sighed, turning to face the blue haired girl. "I should have contacted you after I moved or even when I came back here. I was so selfish and I wasn't there for you when you went through hell." Chloe looked at Max with a surprised look on her face. Max reached forward and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm so sorry if you felt abandoned because of me being a lousy friend."

Max didn't even notice she was crying. She held herself together well as she told Chloe the things she needed to say. It wasn't until she finished that the tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Chloe stared at Max was a stunned look, clearing wasn't expecting Max to say all of that. A stray tear rolled down Chloe's cheek before she could find the words to speak.

"Wow…are you psychic or something?" Chloe laughed as she wiped away the stray tear. She sat there speechless for a moment before clearing her throat and looking at Max. "You're right. I did feel abandoned after you moved. I was upset about it for a long time. I can't think about that now. I mean, you come back after five years and you save my life. I still can't believe that."

"You saved mine." Max reminded her. Having overheard the doctors say that Chloe did the right thing by putting pressure on the wound, Chloe's actions gave the medics more time to save Max. "We saved each other. It's like destiny that we were both there to help each other." They held each other's hands tightly, giving no sign of letting go. "You think we could work together to rebuild our friendship?" Max asked. She knew it was possible, she just needed to her Chloe say it. Chloe smiled and looked at Max with watery eyes.

"I'm never letting you leave me again." Chloe joked, bringing a smile to Max's face. "It will be a little strange because so has changed." Chloe stated, pointing to her blue hair. "But I think we can do it."

Max let go of Chloe's hands and put her arms out for a hug. Chloe wrapped her arms around Max, being extremely cautious not to hurt the recovering girl. Max inhaled a deep breath, resting her head on Chloe's shoulder. After everything that happened, she wasn't planning on leaving Chloe ever again. She didn't plan on telling Chloe anything about their non-existent week or her powers. It would be a lot for Chloe to take in and there was no need to tell her. Rachel was found, Jefferson and Nathan were caught and there was no tornado. There was no need to use her powers and she didn't want Chloe to make her search for bottles in the junkyard again.

"Did you even know it was me in the bathroom?" She heard Chloe ask as she pulled away from the hug.

"Not until you came over and helped me." Max answered. "Did you know it was me?"

Chloe smiled and nodded. "When I got to you, I did. I'd recognise those eyes and freckles anywhere."

Max blushed slightly before feeling an uncomfortable burning sensation in her stomach, where her wound was located. She winced as she shifted uneasily in the wheelchair. The pain reliever was wearing off and Max could feel the effects already. Chloe noticed and placed her hand on Max's shoulder.

"Does your stomach hurt?" She asked. Max bit her lip and nodded.

"I think the stuff they gave me for the pain is wearing off." Max told her. Chloe gave Max a sympathetic look while gently running her hand along Max's shoulder. She stood up from the beach and walked behind Max's wheelchair.

"Let go back to your room and get you loopy on pain meds." Chloe laughed as she moved the wheelchair back in the direction of Max's room. Max rolled her eyes and sighed.

That's her Chloe.


End file.
